2_New England Patriots2

Baltimore Ravens Gameday HQ

SCOREBOARD
Tom Brady/Bill Belichick
2013 2012 2011 2010 2009
PLAYOFFS CC CC SB DIV WC
REGULAR SEASON W-L 12-4 12-4 13-3 14-2 10-6
POINTS PER GAME- 27.8 34.8 32.1 32.4 26.7
POINTS ALLOWED PER GAME 21.1 20.7 21.4 19.6 17.8
YARDS PER GAME 384.5 427.9 428.0 363.8 397.3
YARDS ALLOWED PER GAME 373.1 373.3 411.1 366.5 320.2
TURNOVERS 20 16 17 10 22
TAKEAWAYS 29 41 34 38 28
Key Additions:
CB Darrelle Revis, CB Brandon Browner, WR Brandon
LaFell
Key Subtractions:
CB Aqib Talib, LB Brandon Spikes, RB LaGarrette Blount
Rookies:
DT Dominique Easley, QB Jimmy Garoppolo, C Bryan
Stork
JIM ROGASH/GETTY IMAGES SPORT
The defense’s strength is up the middle, where 6-1, 325-pound
Vince Wilfork is the prototypical nose tackle. Wilfork
dominates the interior of the line and often eats up two or three
offensive linemen.
Right behind Wilfork, New England features one of the
league’s best interior linebackers in Jerod Mayo. The All-Pro
defender is a vocal leader that makes his presence felt both on
and off the field. The 2013 Patriots struggled when both Mayo and
Wilfork were sent to the IR early in the season.
Dont’a Hightower and Jamie Collins are young outside
linebackers versatile enough to play both the run and the pass.
One of the few training camp battles will be to fill the hole at
inside linebacker created when Brandon Spikes moved on to
the Buffalo Bills.
The evolving nature of the NFL has put more pressure on
defensive backs. To combat this, the Patriots added Darrelle
Revis, one of the league’s best cornerbacks, to help solidify the
secondary. But Revis is a couple years removed from the All-Pro
player that disrupted games for the New York Jets and he’ll have
the tough task of replacing Aqib Talib.
Lining up alongside Revis will be Brandon Browner and Kyle
Arrington. No stranger to the league’s disciplinary committee,
Browner will miss the first four games of his Patriots career due to
a failed drug test.
Safety Devin McCourty has not repeated the impressive
stats from his rookie year, but he is an excellent fit for the
system. He’s not a big hitter, but McCourty is a steady tackler
and a team leader.
Defensive Player to watch
Hightower was a first-round draft pick out of the University
of Alabama in 2012. Speed and athleticism made him a big-time
prospect, and Hightower is poised for a breakout season in the
third year of his career.
Last season, Hightower was forced into a more significant role
when Mayo was lost for the team’s final 10 games. In that time,
Hightower became a more vocal presence, even calling plays in
the defensive huddle, but his statistics suffered a bit.
Now that Mayo has returned, Hightower can be a more
reactive playmaker. His well-rounded skill set works perfectly in
the Patriots system. Hightower has the agility to rush the passer
and the speed to drop back into pass coverage.
Like much of the roster, the Patriots linebackers have grown
and developed within Belichick’s system. Surrounded by a wealth
of talent, Hightower is ready to take the next step.
Patriots Special Teams
Coach Bill Belichick is a master of the details that forge lasting
success and special teams are no exception. Special teams coach
Scott O’Brien coached under Belichick for the Cleveland Browns
in 1994, and has coached special teams for the Pittsburgh Steelers,
Baltimore Ravens, Denver Broncos and Carolina Panthers.
Matt Slater will be the unit’s captain once again. Slater, who is
the son of Hall of Fame lineman Jackie Slater, has been rewarded
for his special teams abilities with three consecutive Pro
Bowls invitations.
Place
kicker Stephen
Gostkowski,
another player
that has spent
his entire career
with the Patriots,
had the best
season of his
career in 2013.
He converted 93
percent of his
field goals, made
all of his extra points and led the league in field goals made (38)
and points scored (158).
The team did not fare as well in punting, where they were
middle of the pack, but Ryan Allen was just a rookie and did
manage to land 29 punts inside the 20-yard line.
Prediction
The Patriots have dominated the AFC East, winning 11 of
the last 13 division titles. With Tom Brady under center and Bill
Belichick under the cut-off sleeves hoodie, New England is the
clear favorite to win the division.
If the team can stay healthy, the Patriots have an excellent
shot of improving on last season and heading back to
the Super Bowl.